Before the 1920s, women were not treated very fairly or very equally. Women were not allowed to vote, enter legal contracts, control money, or inherit property. Only nine western states let women vote, but only in local and state elections.

Women soon realized that they were just as important as men and they wanted equal rights. In 1848, Elizabeth Cady and Lucretia Coffin Mott organized the first Women's Rights Convention in New York.

There were many important women fighting for their right to vote and many women that succeeded after the fact. One of these women was Carrie Chapman Catt. She was President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Another important woman was Jannette Rankin, she was the first woman to be elected into Congress in 1916. Lucy Stone was another important woman. She was one of the most popular suffragettes and was an excellent speaker and toured many nations giving speeches.

Men, women, and children joined in the fight for women's rights. They would force public attention by embarrassing politicians through marches, picketing, and hunger strikes. Though these times were hard many people made life long friends fighting in the battle to improve women's lives in America. In 1920, the 19th amendment finally guaranteed women the right to vote. The struggle for this right took a long time, but it was worth it.

These women and many others helped America become the Nation it is today.